Time's End
by Tamahashi
Summary: There are many mysteries in the univesre of Chrono Trigger and there are many interupertations of what the answers to these are. Many of them are constnantly being answered, but no one seems to know how (or why) the End of Time came about.
1. Prologue:Dreaming...

Chrono Trigger  
  
Time's End  
  
A Fanfic by Tamahashi  
  
  
  
Prologue:  
  
Dream  
  
We take what we can get  
  
Through twists of fate and time  
  
We finally arrive at the beginning  
  
Merrily we skip through the hallways  
  
Noticing from far away a star growing dim  
  
We smile and on, not giving a care to anything  
  
No limits, no obstacles, only a clear beaten path...  
  
But some are restless  
  
Some can't resist from wandering  
  
And some find themselves far far away  
  
Some of them loving it, some of them hate it  
  
No limits, no obstacles, not a single path to follow  
  
For some, the one and only way to get to where we're going  
  
Is not to walk in any single direction but rather float through the air  
  
Pick up your ears,  
  
O Restless ones there is something  
  
That you must know about this little world  
  
This little world's dream is so vast and true…  
  
It's all a fading dream, it's all a fading dream, just a  
  
Fading dream and it some ways it's the same as any other dream  
  
Because like all dreams they're only temporary and at one point we awaken  
  
O, Restless ones,  
  
If you are seeking a path  
  
Then the time for you to find it  
  
Is now and if you're just going about  
  
In a daze now listen and awaken for now  
  
Is the time when all dreams ends  
  
When chaos begins  
  
And time sings  
  
It's Disharmony, round  
  
And  
  
Round  
  
The End is near,  
  
O, Restless ones  
  
So rest if you need to rest  
  
And speak if you need to speak  
  
For the dream is ending  
  
-Excerpt from an unknown diary, found in 745 AD, origins unknown.  
  
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Author's notes  
  
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Well, this is the beginning of a grand adventure. It seems only natural to start of a story with a good poem. I'll work on this Fanfic in my free time, but with school I'm afraid that I won't have all the time I would like to work on it. I don't want to make a promise on if I'll complete it, but I think the winds are blowing with good fortune today.  
  
That's not the most important part of my notes, though. I want to point out how this Fanfic intertwines with the Chrono Trigger universe. It's not a sequel, but merely another adventure of Crono's. I do not accept Chrono Cross as cannon events in the Chrono Trigger universe, due to some events that didn't sit well with me. Does that mean I'll ignore the characters and events of CC entirely? Perhaps. Just thought I'd get that out of the way.  
  
And finally…Some of the temporal mechanics of this story might be a little off. Feel free to point out errors, but please, just try to enjoy the story for what it's worth.  
  
Let's get to the story, now, shall we? 


	2. Chatper 1:One Week After

Chrono Trigger: Time's End  
  
Chapter 1:One Week After  
  
Year:1000 AD  
  
  
  
The gulls were calling to Crono, ushering in the sounds of a new day. Crono attempted to stay in the embrace of peaceful sleep in vain by smothering out the sound with his pillow. He gave up and flipped on to his side. He groggily managed to raise himself and with weary eyes managed to find his way to window. This had become somewhat of a tradition for him-he was rarely in his room anymore, but ever since that day, he made sure to uphold it. He threw opened the curtains and waited, poised, and listening. For awhile, he was somewhat disheartened. All he could hear was the sound of the joyful gulls. Perhaps today was going to be average after all. Just as quickly as he began to turn away, a faint sound rang in his ears. It was the sound of Nadia's Bell. It was always said that if you were to hear it's beautiful ring, your day would be filled with excitement.  
  
The bell's ring lasted longer than usual. He hadn't heard it last so hard since his last adventure, one that spanned time. Turning slightly to the left, he scanned his dresser and slowly picked up a framed picture. Holding it in his hands, he could see the smiling faces of his friends. Ayla, the cave woman from 65,000,000 BC, a heart of unending energy. Frog, the honorable knight from 600 AD who was cursed with the physical form that of a frog. Behind the group stood Robo, a big hearted robot of the R series from 2300 AD. Next he saw the jolly look on his dear friend Lucca's face and beside her he saw the girl he one day hoped to marry, Princess Marle. But on the far right was a face that meant just as much to him. It was the smiling face of a youth that had gone on a great adventure-one that spanned time. It was sort of hard to believe that the same face, that of a late teenager, was the face of someone who had seen some many different and amazing things in his lifetime. It was himself, just a week back.  
  
Yes, a week, Crono reminded himself. On that day the year 1000 started and the kingdom of Gaurdia threw a huge millennium fair. The planning for this monumentous occasion had started five years back, and as the year 999 slowly passed, anticipation for this day grew and grew. That day, he had met a girl at the fair. Everything seemed normal enough until they went to see Lucca's newest invention. Lucca was perhaps one of the greatest scientific minds of that age, and perhaps, even beyond. Her latest creation, the telepod, was able to move one person to another place by breaking them apart and rebuilding them. Crono gave it a test, and much to his surprise, and the crowd's, it worked! The girl, who had declared herself as Marle excitedly, ran to give the telepod a spin. Unfortunately, her pendant interfered with the energy fluctuation of the Telepod, causing a portal to open, and sucking Marle in. Lucca and her father Taban shooed the crowd and away and said they'd study the phenomena, but that Crono should go in after Marle. After all, it was his fault.  
  
The Portal had sent Crono into a different land that was remarkably similar to the world he was used to. He was sent backward 400 years. During that time, the princess of that time period was kidnapped by a group of unruly monsters, but after they found Marle they called off the search. Crono, Lucca, and the faithful knight Frog managed to keep the flow of time straight…But after returning to the future, a tailspin of events sent them into the year 2300 AD, where they learned of humanity's fate. A parasitic creature known as "Lavos" entered the Earth's crust and siphoned energy from all creatures in it's goal to reach the ultimate form of evolution. But when Lavos had absorbed everything it had needed from Earth, it erupted from the ground with a force unmeasurable. The Earth was a mere shadow of what it once was. Crono and friends realized that by all means they must stop this event.  
  
And against all odds and all sorts of fiendish villains and through all of the twists and turns and impossibilities, the strangest thing ever imaginable happened. They succeeded. Yes, that was the sort of thing people didn't even dream about. Crono knew that this would be the high point of his life.  
  
Setting the picture down carefully, a sparkle caught Crono's eye. It was the glimmer of the golden pocket watch that had been handed down generation by generation. He picked it up and caressed it slowly. On the side it was encrypted with some strange symbols and a picture of the wheel of time. Oddly fitting for him, he thought. His thumb pressed down on a button and the watch flung open, revealing a very archaic watch. Sadly, it had stopped ticking long ago and the knob on top was no longer there, making Crono quite unable to wind it up again. It was strange though. Sometimes he thought it didn't look as if the knob was missing, but rather it had needed some sort of key or pin to wind. Crono sighed and put the watch back. Someday, he thought to himself, I'm going to fix that thing.  
  
He couldn't spend an entire day in his room getting nostalgic, and so he continued downstairs. His living room was in perfect order and his mother was busily working on Breakfast.  
  
"Crono, do get the table ready! I'm almost done with lunch!" His mother called.  
  
The horrible sense of realization smacked into him at the speed of a charging Tyrannosaurus Rex. The clock read just a bit after noon. He had a date with Marle at two; who thankfully understood his problem with the infamous mornings. Crono shook his head rather grimly. He wouldn't have time to set up the-  
  
Crono's thoughts were interrupted by an eventful thud at the door. Not the sound of someone knocking, but a sound almost as if somebody was attempting to ram the door down.  
  
Spinning around quickly, Crono's mother shouted, "Crono, would take a look at the door please? I'm afraid I've got my hands rather full."  
  
Crono's curiosity had been piqued and he swiftly obliged. Trotting to the door, he grasped the handle and turned it, and opened the door slowly…When it was finally open, a body of an unconscious man slumped onto the hard floor. Crono's mother was so appalled that she squealed out in anxiety and Crono took a few cautious steps back. As if the fact that the man had collapsed on their door wasn't disturbing enough, the man seemed to be rather foreign. The last Gaurdia needed was an incident with another country.  
  
The man had long flowing hair that had a yellowish tan tint to them and it went to about his back. His complexion was very pale, much paler than the majority of the humans Crono had run across in all of the time periods-except perhaps the skin color of the mal nourished citizens of the future that once was. He wore a faded green robe that had patches of bright yellow in it and he wore a cape that was could be described as a light teal. In his left hand his hand sturdily clutched onto an elaborate staff. The staff was obviously carved of wood and had a long narrow shaft that bloomed into a strange pointed object at the top.  
  
After catching their breath, Crono and his mother managed to get a hold of themselves. Crono dragged the man onto their couch and his mom quickly got a blanket and a glass of the water for the stranger. Crono checked the foreigner's pulse and it checked out okay. It was just a matter of time before he awakened. The pair waited for awhile, but after realizing that nothing was going to happen right away, sat down at the dinner table to eat a rather cold meal. Crono didn't say much; although that was completely normal for him. Crono rarely spoke.  
  
After dinner, Crono's mother glanced at the stranger again. "Crono, he looks like he's utterly exhausted…Crono, maybe you should take him upstairs and let him rest in your bed. It's odd, I know…But it might work out for the better, you know? Need any help with that?"  
  
Crono shook his head and managed to carry the man up the flight of stairs. Surprisingly, the man was very light. Crono estimated that the man couldn't weigh much more than 120 pounds, tops. Crono tucked the stranger into the bed gently and leaned the staff against the wall. The weary traveler's elegant clothes clashed with the simple brown blanket, but Crono figured that if he couldn't see it, it wouldn't bother him. Crono shrugged it off and quietly exited, continuing on his routines.  
  
The day went smoothly, although somewhat awkwardly-it was a mellowing thought that there might be a dying prince upstairs. The clock clicked 1:52 and Crono figured that he'd best hurry to the castle. Crono rushed out the door only to smack himself in the face and run back in. He couldn't go anywhere without his trademark yellow scarf! Crono waved 'hi' to his mom and hustled back up the well-worn stairs. He reached into the dresser, wrapped the scarf around his neck, prepared to thunder down the stairs once more when…  
  
"Where…..am…….I?" a gravely voice murmured slowly.  
  
Crono could've fainted, but turned around. The odd man was indeed alive and speaking to him. His eyes were a little less than half open and he seemed to be trying to sit up, but gave a snort and laid back down.  
  
"Where…..am…..I?" He asked again.  
  
"Gaurdia village, in the residence of the-"  
  
"When…am……I?"  
  
Crono stood confused.  
  
"When…..am……I?"  
  
Crono did not reply.  
  
"Listen…..boy…you…..you can…hear me…..When…am….I?"  
  
Crono glanced at the clock. "1:57 PM".  
  
"Don…'t……heckle….me…..What……year….is it?"  
  
Crono's eyes grew large. "1000 AD."  
  
"1000 AD…The….Millennium."  
  
Crono nodded.  
  
"Boy, come….closer….let me ….see you."  
  
Crono took a few steps forward.  
  
"Fog….It's all…it's all fog. I….can't…see. It's all fog."  
  
Crono ran downstairs and made some herbal tea rather quickly. He managed to balance it and return to his room without spilling the small mug. He offered it to the man. The man's arm's shook violently and moved in a choppy, slow, pace. His arms didn't quite have the strength to lift it, so Crono had to assist him. The man took a few sips and breathed.  
  
"That clears out the lunges, boy. What is it?"  
  
"Special recipe."  
  
"Hmm, I see. I'm starting to regain my strength."  
  
"It does that."  
  
"I feel like I've been through a thorough torture session. I don't remember much…Just waking up now. Tell me, what happened to me?"  
  
"You collapsed at our door."  
  
"Hmmph. I suppose. Ahah! What is this I see? Hmm mmm, hmmm mmm, color! Yes, I do believe that my eyes are regaining their former abilities, I do. Yes, I'm in a room, in a grubby pheasant like blanket." He paused. "Err….do excuse my rudeness, I'm afraid in poor shape, not in my usual surroundings, I'm certain you understand, hmm?"  
  
The man turned around slowly, and when he laid eyes on Crono, he backed up to the wall. His eyes dilated and his entire body began to shake and he looked the spiky haired youth up and down, over and over again. Finally, he managed to raise a hand and point.  
  
"You….Are…..Crono!" He managed to gush out in amazement between heavily labored breaths.  
  
Crono stepped forward to calm the man but he scooted closer to the wall at every step while the intensity of his shaking increased. Then, the man seemed to calm down. He closed his eyes and relaxed his body and slowly laid down. He repeated the name softly.  
  
"Terribly, terribly sorry. My mind must still be reeling, because for a minute my eyes glazed and I saw a..a…monster, yes, monster, that's the word I was looking for-a monster that I once encountered in my youth. It's a memory that haunts me to this day, I suppose you could say. Now, I'm certain you're wondering why I'm here, sleeping in your bed in your humble nest. Please, give me a few minutes to clam my beating heart and to collect my thoughts." The man said rather nervously.  
  
Crono did just that. Crono pulled up the chair that sat in front of his clustered desk parked in front of his bed. He watched as the tired man mumbled to himself while his face went through phases of different emotions. Finally, he rolled onto his side to face Crono.  
  
"Alright, I've got my story all together-as well as my wits. You see, I am dressed so elegantly because I am indeed a member of a royal family on a small island off the coast of the Median Continent. We're descendants from the Mystics and at the time, we didn't want to be associated with Magus's vile army. Our kin developed all sorts of foul derogatory names-Mystic, Demi-human, beastman, Enchanted toadstools-and some that I'd rather not say in front of youths such as yourself. We moved to the island. We've been very small and our population is dwindling. Nobody seems to want to come visit the quaint country of Sinurus anymore, so we decided that we must do something to attract attention worldwide. We would throw a large competition of swordsman ship. Now, I understand that you are the finest swordsman on the Gaurudian Continent, surpassing even that of the knight captain himself! I humbly invite you to come with me back to Siniurus, where you could stay as an honored guest in our palace. What do you say, Crono?"  
  
Crono blinked.  
  
"If it suits you best, you can consult with your mother for permission and that sort of thing. I guess that I get caught up into your fame and forget you're a minor. Here, be a good lad and help me up," the man added with a faint hint of a smile.  
  
Crono complied and helped the prince up. As the man was finally walking, he hobbled about the room. Crono looked a little confused at him, but figured that the man had probably never seen the interior of a house like this. Crono tried to imagine what the house of a present day Mystic must look like-surely it would have some references to magic and other sort of things but…Crono's thoughts were interrupted when he realized that the man had paused in one particular spot. Crono walked over to look over the man's shoulder and was surprised to see the man's eyes staring intently at his golden pocket watch.  
  
"It's been in the family for ages."  
  
The man paused, and then stared at Crono, directly meeting eyes. "It's been there for too long, and rather unjustly. You see, back in the day of Magus, a tad bit before the climax of the war, around 599, a descendant of a friend of the family was locked in deadly combat with a human warrior. He was a rather quiet human by the name of Kronnus. The two fought bravely for twenty minutes before Kronnus dealt a surprise blow to Yurunzu, who dropped this very pocket watch-something his family held dear to him. As you know, Mystics put a lot of faith into the abilities of magic and believe that magic is deeply woven into every aspect of life, including time itself. The wheel of time is a very sacred symbol, to them you see." He reached out for the watch, still rambling on. "Why, I'm certain Yurunzu's family would be deeply in dept to you if they could have this watch back, and I'm certain they'd trade any treasure in the wor-"  
  
Crono slapped the man's hand away. "No. I will not give it up."  
  
The man stepped back. "But you don't understand! This could spark a whole religious war with the Mystics! It would spell the end of Gaurdia's 400 years long of peace! It-"  
  
"I understand the complications, but the Yurunzu's family must accept that what has happened in the past, is in the past. There is no going back. You must live in the now."  
  
The man's fists began to clench and his face curled into a hideous snarl. He shook his fists violently.  
  
"You don't understand the Importance of this piece! It means the world, heck, time to them!"  
  
"I'm afraid that if you do not calm down I will have to ask you to leave."  
  
The man let out a fearsome cry and leapt backwards and snatched his staff quickly. He held it forward threateningly. The staff began to glow an eerie shade of red and the man began to levitate, his eyes now turning an equally eerie shade of red.  
  
"Prepare yourself!"  
  
A wave of flames shot forth and scattered about the room. Crono raced to the stairs but with a wave of the staff a wall of flames blocked the staircase. Crono glared at the man sternly. With a lightning quick action Crono's sword was unsheathed and he had attained the battle stance. He lunged with blade pointing forward towards the stranger, but suddenly a force shoved him into the wall. He dropped his sword and started to choke from the smog of the fire. The man greedily swiped the pocket watch and closed his eyes, chanting something in another tongue. Crono reached for his sword and suddenly a stream of black lightning was flying directly into Crono's face. With a slash of his sword made out of Rainbow Shell the stream's flow was reversed and quickly struck the man's arm. The darkness flew threw his body like a current and suddenly it reached the watch.  
  
In an instance, a great explosion erupted from the watch. The roof of the house was shattered into bits and pieces of lumber, scattering in every direction, the man was shoved into the wall behind him and the wall behind Crono gave out. Suddenly Crono was half on the floor while half of him hang out the window. The blood rushing to his head, he hurriedly sat up and glanced at was happening. The pocket watch was emitting bursts of electricity, and something else that Crono didn't think he'd ever see again. Time Gates. They were very unstable and appeared in different sizes and would stay up for different periods of time, but they were definitely Time Gates. Crono skillfully weaved in and out between the Time Gates with sword raised to deliver a final blow to the hostile stranger. The man was cowering in fear, his gaze shifting between the fluctuating Time Gates and the charging Crono. The blade was coming closer, closer, and it was about to stab him when…  
  
A gate opened up where Crono was half standing, being sucked in neigh spontaneously. The man stood up. His mind raced to think of some action.  
  
"C…C…Crono! You've destroyed my dignity alread-"  
  
His sentence was not finished, for he too had been absorbed into a time portal. All that remained of the chaotic battle was a floor with miscellaneous items scattered about ablaze, and one wall standing. 


	3. Chapter 2:Transfer Point

Chrono Trigger: Time's End  
  
Chapter 2:Transfer Point  
  
Year: ???  
  
The gate opened once more and deposited Crono into a scene of chaos. Crono landed on a metallic surface and all around him the room was shaking violently and all around him he could hear the screams of humans, and some utterances of languages he couldn't understand. There were also sounds of deadly explosions and objects crashing down onto the surface and shattering. He managed to steady himself enough to stand up and he tried to walk to a human figure he thought he saw through the smog and exhaust. Before he could reach the figure, a bolt of electricity shot from the ceiling and rubble collapsed upon it, burring the poor being alive.  
  
A man in a strange uniform was kneeled over on the floor, with his head down and arms wrapped around his legs, chanting. "It's over….it's all over, it's all over, it's all over…"  
  
An unexpected blast of electricity sent Chrono flying in front of the mourning man. The man looked at him oddly at first, but then jumped to his feet and pulled a slightly dazed Crono along with him. Through the destruction Crono was pulled to a console with smoke coming out of it.  
  
"I really do hope that you were just looking for the nearest time portal, because only a fool would stay in this mess."  
  
"Where am I?"  
  
"The end," The man snapped as he clattered on a keyboard.  
  
"Alright, this time gate should be open for about twenty seconds. I don't know where it'll take you to-we lost that function an hour ago. Good luck and Godspeed. Dismissed."  
  
Not asking questions, Crono leaped into the glowing portal as soon as it opened. The man stood silently then turned around and once again kneeled on the floor.  
  
"It's all over….it's all over…" 


	4. Chapter 3:...Dream Over...

Chapter 3-Relfections  
  
Year:???  
  
  
  
The gate opened, and to the man's horror, there was no ground beneath his feet! If he had the energy to muster a shriek, he would've but instead merely plunged down onto a rough dirt surface in the midst of a humid jungle like setting.. His right leg had landed on a pile of pointed rocks and it pulsed with pain. He tried to move it, halted, and then laid backwards in disgust. He didn't know where he was, he didn't know exactly how he got here, and he had absolutely no idea how he was going to get out of this mess.  
  
The man began to ramble on a speech that at times were interrupted by uncontrollable periods of shrieking; sometimes out of pain and others out of frustration. He wasn't certain if the words that were forming were coming out of his mouth or merely dancing away in his head and quite frankly he didn't care.  
  
"Crono, Crono, Crono…The worst string of syllables ever to exist, ever to enter my magnificent ears. Crono, despite what some people might say, despite the fools who worship you like you were some sort of deity on earth, you are a reckless, bloodthirsty demon out to fulfill your own desires and ego! You say that your actions are justified, you run about thinking that you're a hero, your little mind registers it all as an act of balancing out time, but all the while all you do is run about destroying other dreams. You think that you 'touch' the lives of all the people that you meet, but rather you change them, destroy them, or taint them! Yes..yes…taint. Who are you? What were you thinking when you destroyed the Reptites simple dream of living on Earth? What were you thinking when you destroyed the Mother board? Or gave the last seedling to the humans in the future? Didn't it ever occur to you that just maybe dinosaurs were meant to rule the planets or that perhaps robots were in fact destined to enslave humanity or that humanity was meant to starve off? I hope that you know, that you caused every time ripple in this universe. If you wouldn't have picked up that pendent and gone through time, one simple alteration would be made. Then nobody would have ever managed to gather data on Time Travel and our world would flow on naturally, leaving one freakish accident. You caused Lavos just as you brought on what I did to the world, you, you…"  
  
A chorus of roars echoed from the area just behind the man. Deeply disturbed he attempted to turn around but found it well too difficult. He wrestled his arm to try and reach his staff, but alas, it could not reach. He began to scream out in mortal terror, and suddenly, he saw above him a gang of Heckren circled around him. Heckren were a species of massive beasts with deadly claws and fangs and a violent nature. Suddenly, one lashed out at the man's stomach, and his mind racing, he realized that this might be it, that this might be the end for him…  
  
The cries echoed late into the afternoon. 


	5. Chapter 4:In the Shadow of Crono

Chapter 4-In the shadow of Crono  
  
Year: 1000 AD  
  
Marle sighed. She kicked her feet rhythmically at the side of her queen-sized bed, slowly. It was 3:00 PM. It was true that mornings and Crono got along about as well as a cat and a wounded bird, but that's the entire reason why they'd scheduled the date in the afternoon. She stood up and began to pace. Obviously, something was very, very wrong. Maybe something horrible had happened to Crono on the way to the castle; perhaps a group of rogue imps got him or something of the like. But then again he could still be sleeping.  
  
Finally, she decided that she'd have to go and investigate herself. She quickly rose and changed into something a little bit more suited for traveling and marched through the halls of Castle Gaurdia. They were made of the most beautiful type of marble and their glimmer had not dulled over the ages. She made her way down the grand staircase and found her way to the main hallway. There, she saw quite a commotion. Her father wasn't at the throne and the chancellor was yelling at the knight captain while the other soldiers ran about frantically. She shrugged and went to the front gate, which was inconveniently blocked by two soldiers.  
  
The two didn't seem to be disturbed at all by the commotion. Quite contrary, they were laughing and they seemed to be having a grand time. The first soldier was rather portly and Marle wondered where such armor was forged while the second was short and was skinnier than she was. They snapped out of their laughter and realized that the Princess was standing in front of them.  
  
The portly soldier greeted her jovially. "What brings you here this fine day, princess?"  
  
"Well Crono was supposed to meet me an hour and a half ago, and I'm getting worried. I figured that I might just have to go and see if anything has happened to him. So, if you'd please excuse me, I'll just be on my way and-"  
  
The short soldier waved his arms and blocked Marle's path. "So sorry, dear princess, but I'm afraid we have orders not to let anybody leave this dreary fort today."  
  
Marle's face reddened with anger and she managed to keep herself together, finally asking, "Why not?"  
  
The first soldier tilted his head and put a hand to his chin. "Hmm…Let me think. I was briefed on this situation awhile ago. Err, it seems that there's a…"  
  
The second soldier exclaimed. "Arsonist!"  
  
The first soldier snapped his fingers. "Yes, yes that's it exactly! There's an arsonist loose in the village of Gaurdia, and he's set fire to a house. He's got the whole Kingdome upset, it seems. Apparently he's got some widow wailing' like there's no tomorrow."  
  
The squat man put on a rather obviously feigned face and said, as empathetically as he could, "Yes, it's a true disaster."  
  
Marle's anger turned to a sense of true concern. "A wailing widow" would definitely describe Crono's mother. Had something happened to Crono? No, she dismissed the thought. Crono eats dinosaur meet for breakfast; a simple fire couldn't do him in.  
  
"Well, if it'll put your minds at ease, Crono is a very skilled swordsman and I'm certain I'd be completely safe with him; probably safer than I am here."  
  
The round soldier shook his head sadly. "I'm certain that your honey is a strong lad, but I'd hate to see him go up against a fire. Dreadful, dreadful occurrences they are."  
  
The second soldier nodded. "Oh yes, why, I don't know anything more powerful in the world than a well fueled fire! Except maybe the ocean or a fierce river."  
  
Marle's temper was raising, but she felt that if she could keep herself collected she might be able to talk her way out of this situation.  
  
The first soldier chuckled. "A river? Don't make me a laugh! A well- placed boulder could dam it up in a few minutes, tops. Now let me tell you about something truly powerful. The wind! Yes, I'm afraid my mind can't come up with a single thing more frightening than that. Just think, one good whoosh and down the castle'd go."  
  
The second soldier laughed. "Foolish, foolish! A good rock would just block that wind. It could blow and blow all it wanted, but it wouldn't even be able to budge one, I tell you what."  
  
The first man's brow straightened. "Listen here, I know for a fact that a good storm would nudge a rock about just as easily as"  
  
Marle lost it right about there, and became enraged. "Silence! Listen to yourselves, babbling about things that even children wouldn't give a hair about while the countryside's in chaos! Eeeerrrrgh! Why on earth would my dad be stupid enough to hire you bums?"  
  
The first soldier thought a minute. "Well, I think he should be rather happy to have us. I mean, we're volunteers after all. Take what you can get, I say."  
  
The second soldier agreed. "Yes, Gaurdia's been at peace for ages. We're all volunteers now a days. Except the knight captain."  
  
"'Course, he could've just volunteered to be captain."  
  
Marle's arms flew up into the air, disgusted and maddened. She stomped off rather angrily and went down a hallway where she found two staircases. One that lead up to the king's room, and the other which lead to rather dull basement. Of course, inside of this sleepy basement was a secret passage that concealed a complex maze of caverns, one of which eventually lead to an area outside the fairgrounds. It was originally an escape route incase Magus' minions ever overthrew the castle, but had long since been forgotten. However, Marle had discovered it one quiet day when she desperately needed out and had since proven to be quite useful. The caverns were an abyss of pure darkness, but Marle had traveled through those pathways many times in the past. She was able to feel her way through the long corridors. At first, it had been rather frightening but now was rather old hat.  
  
It's not like she ran about trying to be a handful for everybody, she thought to herself in the midst of concentration. Certainly, some of her actions were rather immature and illogical, and in some cases dangerous, but were almost always caused by some need not being meet or actions of others. She always felt as if her life was being anchored down by a heavy chain of regulations and pollicies and she so often wished that she could break free and fly away, to a land where she could be somebody that she really was, and not a figurehead.  
  
Of course, her last little adventure no doubt scared the king and his court out of their wits, or at least the ones who believed it at least. Traveling back and forth through time, traversing against deadly terrain and engaging in life-threatening battles. Heck, she had fought in the war against Magus, and then made peace with him! The droll man that was Magus could just have easily turned her and her friends into some vile creature, just as he cursed the poor knight Frog.  
  
It took a little while, but she managed to navigate herself to the exit. Finally, a few beams of light peaked out and she was outside beneath the shadow of a tall, guardian like mountain. It was a bit of a walk to Crono's house, but the journey across the grassy plains would pass by very quickly, with such lovely views to take in. Finally, she stood in front of Crono's humble house. But something invaded her eyes and every time she tried to take it in the horrible realization of what she couldn't shake off her fears and the tears that began to pour instantly. It was Crono's house….But it was missing the roof and the vast majority of Crono's floor, including three of the walls. Unless, against all odds, Crono had somehow survived this.  
  
Yes, she reassured herself, there was no way that the simple flames could have devoured the faithful friend she had only known for a short time. Crono and her friends had faced the impossible before and came out barely scratched. Crono had even died once, but by manipulation of the flow of time he had prevailed. A fire…so simple. It was not a fitting death for such a wonderful person.  
  
She slammed the door open with excitement to, hoping to see Crono's smiling face, but only to find Crono's dear mother, sitting on a chair quietly looking outside at the horizon. She stopped. This was often a sign of distress for the dear woman, but surely she would've reacted stronger if her own offspring had burnt in a cruel inferno. Yes, Marle told herself, it was obvious that Crono had somehow prevailed. She walked towards the woman and pulled up a chair and sat next to her.  
  
Crono's Mother murmured. "I can't believe that something so horrible, could've happened to my little boy…"  
  
Marle's eyes bulged. "What happened?"  
  
Crono's mother shook her head and then lowered it. "It was a very odd day, from start to finish. We heard a strange thump at the door, and it turned out this strange foreign man had slumped against it unconscious. So we attempted to waken him and when that didn't work, we let him rest in Crono's bed. Well Crono was about ready to leave for the little date you two had set up, when…. Something happened…"  
  
At this point she couldn't continue and wiped her eye on a towel she kept close to her.  
  
"Ah…I heard loud noises…And then…fire…and an explosion…and the roof was gone… and…sounds of a battle….then…my little boy…he was gone…as well as that stranger…I…" At this point she bit her lip and managed to regain her structure. "I don't know what happened. I called for an investigation from the royal palace and they came over and said that it was some sort of rogue arsonist. They sent out a troop of soldiers to find the fiend that did this to our house. But I believe that Crono put up a good find with this rascal, and must have escaped somewhere wounded. I begged for them to send out another search team, one for Crono. They reluctantly agreed.  
  
Marle was barely able to talk. "Any luck…?"  
  
The mother's head shook solemnly. It was all too much for Marle, who collapsed into the warm embrace of the caring person she was sitting next to. The concerned mother silently observed the need for emotional reassurance and her hand brushed through Marle's flowing blonde river of hair.  
  
"I loved him," was all Marle could say.  
  
"So did I," his mother agreed.  
  
The embrace lasted for an unclear amount of time, but to Marle, it was one that seemed to last beyond the flow of time. Finally, Marle cut of the hug.  
  
"I…I want to see his room. I…I want to find something to remember him by…err…is that…alright with you?" Marle said, as a lone tear slid down her cheek.  
  
Crono's mother nodded. "Take anything you like."  
  
Marle walked up the stairs slowly. She wasn't certain why she hesitated to go up to the remainder of the room, but in the back of her mind, she knew that the sight of the wreckage would only be a confirmation in her mind to an event she desperately didn't want to believe was true. She had to balance herself by resting an arm against the wall the entire trip.  
  
She finally reached her destination. She saw a dresser turned upon its side with its contents sprawled out on the charred floor. The bed had several chunks of wood that had undoubtedly once been part of Crono's ceiling. The sole wall standing was rather loose and it looked as if it would topple over any minute. She slowly dazed over to the contents of the dresser. She saw all sorts of common items, various magazines and books; burnt clothes…But she couldn't find anything that had real emotional meaning to it. She sighed.  
  
Then, she felt her hand lean upon something like paper, but not quite big enough to be a full sheet. She turned around and crouched down on the floor to get a good glimpse. There were five scraps of paper. Looking closer she saw…Herself and her friends! Yes, she could make out Frog, Lucca, Robo, Ayla, and even Crono. She quickly rearranged the pieces so that the picture would once again be reassembled. It wasn't perfect, in fact, there were large gaps here and there, and only half of Crono lay intact, but the most important part of him was still intact. His grin. It said so much about the personality of Crono, something that you wouldn't even always get from talking to him.  
  
She picked up the pieces and stared at them. She had so many memories… She could remember when the two of them had so much fun at the Millennium fair, and when she was being erased from the time continuum, Crono and pals had managed to set the timeline strait. And the time they got to see the magnificent view of the magical kingdom Zeal. So many memories…Within one natural week and two weeks scattered throughout time Crono had quickly became a part of her life that she could never forget.  
  
But just as the time and fate are cruel beings that can make no exceptions, nor is the natural world that surrounds every human. A gust of wind picked up and the last traces of Crono began to drift away from Marle. She tried to chase after them, but they flew away, over the side of the building. She was forced to stop for feel of falling over. She collapsed onto her knees. There was no getting around it this time.  
  
Crono was really gone.  
  
She fell down onto her knees sobbing. Amongst the chaos of the heart, it felt somewhat good to sweep the sorrow from the depths of her heart. She attempted to wipe a tear from her eye. Something shone through the tear for a second. For an instance, Marle dismissed it as a ray of sun but then realized it might be something else. She got onto the floor and moved about the rubble, revealing a pocket watch. It was Crono's family heirloom! Crono always talked about how someday he was going to walk down to Lucca's and the two of them were going to find away to wind it. She laughed. Crono might have a way with steel but he definitely wasn't a machinist. She reached to pick it up by the top, right where the chain started and the weird little nub was…  
  
But as her hand touched it, a shock of electricity made her leap backwards. The simple device was glowing an odd color as electricity shot form it in every direction. The next thing Marle saw was the least thing she had expected! It was a time gate, a marvelous road through time! She tried to run through it but it closed it's jaws near instantly.  
  
Marle was stunned. The next words that passed her lips were perhaps the most wonderful thing she had heard in a long time." Oh…my…God…Crono just might be alive…"  
  
Marle stood up, her heart pumping. Thoughts and theories on what had really happened played through her mind as she carefully grasped the pocket watch by the tail end of the chain, careful not to open another time gate. Yes, she thought, it was all clear. The pocket watch must have been some sort of ancient time machine and malfunctioned, sent out waves of fire and then opened a time gate that Sucked Crono and the strange visitor through!  
  
She'd find out if Lucca had visited the house already, and either way, would run over to tell her the good news. Then they could fire up the Epoch, that beautiful time machine, and fly through the ages looking for Crono. She could take the pocket watch and Lucca could analyze what year the gates were sending them to, and Crono would be back in a hurry! She wanted so badly to dash down the stairs, but she knew that Crono's mother was still in a state of mourning. Crono and friends had decided that Crono's mother shouldn't learn about his little time escapades just yet. She would either proclaim he's crazy or tell him he's not allowed to travel through time.  
  
She tried her best to conceal her newfound excitement and softly walked down the flight of stairs, and finally made it back to Crono's mother. She didn't say anything at first but turned her head to the window and also gazed out of it. Marle felt horrible that she couldn't just tell the poor woman the truth, because she knew thoughts about the possible death of her son danced about in her head. When Marle gazed out the window, she wondered where in the fast grains of time Crono might be.  
  
"Has Lucca been informed of this…news…yet?" Marle asked cautiously.  
  
Crono's mother shook her head.  
  
"I think that'll go talk to her then…I think that it would be best if I went to see her…Best for both of us…If you don't mind…"  
  
The tired woman breathed "If you believe it is best, then go ahead…I'll be here if you need."  
  
Marle nodded. She put her hands behind her back and left the house solemnly. After she felt she was a good distance away, she broke into a run. Lucca's family on an island that was connected the Gaurdia mainland by a bridge her great grandfather built years ago. It was somewhat out of the way so Lucca and her folks didn't get many visitors, but that didn't bother them much. They were always working on some sort of strange experiment or another. Except Lucca's Mother, Lora. She could never quite get into machinery.  
  
The trip took a bit longer than the excited princess would've liked, but even this time flew quickly as the sun continued to shower onto the young girl's back. She had to pause at the bridge to catch her breath. A quick giggle escaped the chambers of her throat as she remembered the time that Crono, Lucca and herself had tried to fish at the bridge. Although they managed to catch a speckled Rinn, a small yet tasty fish, Crono ended up in the water himself after attempting to reel in a "big one". Turned out to be the scrap metal from Lucca's prototype of Gato, the singing robot.  
  
Marle rapped on the door impatiently. After waiting a few minutes of waiting and not hearing a response, she considered just barging in since they never locked their doors. The door opened slowly to reveal Lora, who motioned for Marle to come in. What could be described as the living room was full of scattered pieces of inventions and metal, books left open, and the occasional miss placed tool.  
  
"Come on into the kitchen, dear Marle-Poor Taban was up all night working on a little something that he said would revolutionize the way I garden and he just sort of felt asleep on the floor. He can be so sweet at times."  
  
Marle observed Taban as she made her way to the kitchen. It was quite true. Taban was sprawled out upon his side, still clenching onto an oily wrench. His chest heaved up and down and a puddle of drool was beginning to form around him. With each breath he gasped in air and then a rather odd sound escaped his nose.  
  
After reaching the kitchen, Lora turned to Marle. "So what brings you here today? Do you and have Lucca have something planned? My little girl was rather busy last night. I'm afraid I didn't get a bit of sleep with all that noise she made. I didn't have the heart to stop her, though. Lucca's so passionate about what she does."  
  
"Yeah, actually. Today Lucca and I were going to go hunting for some sort of rare rock. Helps with energy stuff in her machines, you know?"  
  
Lora laughed. "Actually, I'm quite clueless about it."  
  
Marle put on a smile. "Same here. Sounded like fun though."  
  
"Well, you'd best wake up Lucca. I don't think she'd be rather fond of the idea of sleeping the day through."  
  
Marle nodded and rushed up the stairs. When she entered Lucca's room, she stopped in her tracks. The room was full of sheets of metal and screws and other materials she couldn't even identify. The amount of junk on the ground went up to just a little over her knees, except some of the larger sheets that rested wearily on the wall. Speaking of the wall, there was some sort of cylinder in the farthest corner of the room. She observed the room and tried her best to imagine a pathway to Lucca's bed. After a minute she just decided to wade through the mini scrap yard.  
  
With a bit of luck she managed to get to the side of Lucca's bed with only a few scratches. Lucca was halfway on the bed with an arm dwindling off the side and she was dressed in rather simple green pajamas.  
  
"Lucca!" Marle shouted.  
  
Lucca bolted upright, breathing heavily. Her eyes were half-open and she was quite dazed. She swiveled about and caught the sight of Marle.  
  
"Oh, Marle, it's you. Don't ever do that again. I hate to sound rude, but I was working all night and I'm devastatingly fatigued," Lucca spat out dryly.  
  
Marle took this opportunity to hop onto the bed and sat next to Lucca. She was now speaking directly to Lucca's face. "Well, it's pretty important."  
  
Lucca sighed. "Whelp, I'm wide awake now. Hand me my glasses, would you?"  
  
Marle reached over to a dressed near the bed and picked up the glasses, which she promptly gave to her eccentric friend. She then quickly gathered her thoughts.  
  
"Well, I had a date today with Crono, but he was extremely late. That's not normal, even when I'm talking about him! I decided I'd go and see what was keeping him when I learned that there was an arsonist loose in the village and I wasn't allowed to leave."  
  
Lucca laughed. "I see you got around that obstacle rather easily."  
  
Marle nodded. "Yeah, I used that little passageway again. Definitely one of the handiest things I've ever come across. But anyway, when I got outside and walked a ways I noticed that Crono's house was…shattered. The roof was off and there was only one wall still standing. So I got scared and ran inside. There I found Crono's mom, sitting solemnly in a chair gazing out the window. I found out that earlier in the day some stranger collapsed at their door and they took him and let him rest in Crono's bed.  
  
Crono's mom then said that later on in the day she heard sounds of a battle going on upstairs, and that's when the fire was tearing up the stairs. She then informed me that Crono and the stranger were missing. She feared that Crono got his head handed to him by the arsonist. Well, apparently the castle has search teams out scouting for our fiery friend and one for Crono and the stranger."  
  
Lucca blinked. It was hard to take in at once.  
  
"But I went upstairs and I found Crono's pocket watch. I tried to pick it up, and all sorts of electricity started streaming out and then it spat out a time gate-"  
  
"A time gate!?" Lucca cried.  
  
"Yes, a time gate. So I think that in the battle the watch was hit and it opened up a gate and everybody was sucked into it. So I took it with me, and I was hoping that you could, like, analyze the watch and find out what time period it's connected to, so that we could we use the Epoch and fly through time and save Crono."  
  
Marle was expecting Lucca to jump up and lead her to the Epoch, but the reaction was less than positive. Lucca sighed and covered her head with her hands. Fear began to rise in the heart of the tomboy princess.  
  
"Lucca, what's wrong?"  
  
Lucca gave no response.  
  
"Lucca, what's going on? Is something wrong?'  
  
Lucca uncovered her faith and threw her head back.  
  
"Of all of the days of the year, I chose last night to dismantle the Epoch."  
  
Marle's heart froze. Her lips twisted so that she might shout some sort of protest, but suddenly it was hard for her to breath and no words were able to come out. Lucca nodded sadly, now with eyes half open.  
  
"Dismantled isn't even a tasteful way to put it. See these scraps of metal deposited on the floor? Fragments of the time Machine. I…I thought I was doing something noble, Marle. I thought…I just…I thought I was helping the world out by having one less chance of temporal chaos lying about. I didn't know something like would manifest itself with such short notice."  
  
There was silence. Then Marle asked softly, "You can rebuild it, right?'  
  
Lucca bit her lip. "See that large cylindrical object over that? It's a machine my father invented a few years ago. It's an incinerator. After I'd taken apart the Epoch, I began to feed the scraps into there, melting them down to nothing but ash. I started with the device I was convinced was what made the time travel possible. There's no using the Epoch now, Marle. Crono just might be gone forever."  
  
Marle shook her head. "No…This can't be happening…I feel like I've lost Crono twice today…What about the pocket watch, Lucca? Could we use that."  
  
Lucca shrugged. "Maybe. 'Course, then we'd be equally as lost." 


End file.
